Children in Alaska’s child welfare system due to suspected child abuse or neglect find themselves in a constant state of flux. Court cases move slowly through the legal process. Reunifying the child with their family or, if that’s not possible, finding a permanent placement can sometimes take years. Removed from their home and separated from their parents, children are surrounded …
A How-To Travel Guide for the Newly Sober
Sobriety isn’t always easy, especially while traveling. Here, six tips on how to navigate the world happily—and soberly—from someone who’s been there. Read more here.
Tlingit and Haida launches online tool for addiction treatment and education
Tribal citizens in Southeast Alaska who are experiencing addiction have access to a new, free online treatment. It’s called Culture Heals and it’s offered by the new mental health program at the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Dr. Tina Woods leads the Council’s Community and Behavioral Health Services team. She says the goal is to remove barriers …
These TikTokers Are Redefining What it Means to Get Sober
Growing up, when I thought of 12-step groups like AA, I always imagined grisly old men chugging coffee in smoke-filled rooms. So when I wanted to get sober later in my life, I just assumed that traditional addiction recovery groups weren’t my scene. When I went to my first AA meeting in 2018, I discovered that I wasn’t far off the mark. Even though …
Already Low-Dose Alcohol Use Shrinks Brain Volume, New Study Shows
Previous research has already established that alcohol intake negatively affects the brain. Now a new study examined a large sample of 36,678 British middle-aged participants from the Biobank study to see how low dose alcohol use affects the brain. The researchers found that already small amounts of alcohol use, such as one or two units, can shrink brain volume. The …
Parents push for Kellsie’s Law to save children from addiction
Alaskan families who have lost children to drug addiction and overdoses are pushing for something they say could save lives: mandatory drug addiction education with an emphasis on opioids. The Mat-Su Opioid Task Force is spearheading the effort to get Kellsie’s Law passed in memory of 24-year-old Kellsie Green, who died from complications of heroin withdrawal at the Anchorage Correctional …
What Can I Do to Support My Newly Sober Partner?
Dear Ana: My boyfriend is newly sober. I know there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer here, but I’m curious: What were some of the ways you wish you had been supported? I’ve found Al-Anon but so far most of the significant others I’ve met have talked about their decision to leave the alcoholic in their life, and I don’t want to …
Ask Ana Marie Cox (Almost) Every Question You’ve Ever Had About Sobriety
There are a few ways I could start this: Hi, I’m Ana, and I’m an alcoholic. Or: I’m in 12-step recovery. Or: I have alcohol-abuse disorder. Maybe: Hi, I’m Ana, and I haven’t had a recreational drink or a drug in ten years, ten months, and three days. But here’s the one that feels the truest: Hi, I’m Ana, and …
This ‘wine mom’ never questioned her drinking. Then she stopped for a month.
It all started with a news release. As a journalist, I get multiple pitches a day: “Best and Worst Cities for Healthy Dogs,” “Why the Buzz about Glutathione?” and, sit down for this one, the opportunity to talk to the founder of Parting Stone, a start-up that turns the ashes of loved ones into smooth rocks and pebbles (40 to …